March 07, 2007

Lifecycle comparison study: Biodiesel vs. petroleum diesel

AutoblogGreen points to the results of a study just published by The US Department of Energy and the US Department of Agriculture. The study looks at the energy required for production through distribution and the emissions created by both biodiesel and petroleum diesel.

AutoblogGreen sums it up...

It was determined that biodiesel has a total fossil energy efficiency
ratio (i.e., total fuel energy / total fossil energy used in
production, manufacture, transportation and distribution) four times
greater than that of petroleum diesel fuel making biodiesel far more
efficient in its use of non-renewable fossil fuels.

Other key findings showed that in comparison to petroleum diesel, biodiesel had:

Comments

This has been a passion of mine for sometime and I know that you are going to be absolutely fascinated by the promise of renewable energy.

Ok, here are some alternative fuels to consider:

Ethanol or also know as E85 (which is 85% ethanol
and 15% gas) is primarily corn-based, it runs the gamut from a 10 percent gasoline additive (gasohol) that works without engine modification to E85, just 15 percent gasoline, which works in flexible-fuel vehicles. An ethanol variation, cellulosic ethanol, uses corn husks and other crop waste.

Ethanol can be produced from any biological feed stocks that contain appreciable amounts of sugar or materials that can be converted into sugar such as starch or cellulose. Sugar beets
and sugar cane are examples of feed stocks that contain sugar.

You've heard about moonshine stills? That is the same operation that would be needed to created ethanol. Some experts say
that the downside would be that it takes about 70% more energy to grow corn and make ethanol from it than what goes into the
ethanol.

A manual on ethanol production is available here:

www.energy-secrets.com

Hydrogen could be the most abundant alternative fuel.
The majority of the earth is made up of water. It does however carry inherent complexities: Hydrogen is light and tends to leak
out of containment areas. It is highly combustible, but no more than gasoline.

Biodiesel is a domestically produced; it is a renewable fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases. It reduces pollution by up to 75%. Biodiesel offers safety benefits over petroleum diesel because it is much less combustible, with a flash point greater than 150°C, compared to 77°C for petroleum diesel. It is the most easily made alternative fuel.

That is why I like it the best and support home production of biodiesel. Make a test batch and see if it is for you.

Sitchgrass and other native Oklahoma prairie grasses may also be used for alternative fuels and can offset some downsides of corn. To learn more, come to
GROW: the Oklahoma Governor's Conference on Biofuels, October 16-17, 2007, in Oklahoma City. James Woolsey, former director of the CIA, will be a keynote speaker at the Governor's Conference on Biofuels.Registration is just $45. For more information or registration vist www.GrowOK.com

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